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Posted on 14/05/19 09:19:38 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply  |
For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
Sorting through old photographs recently I came across this. I thought it might intrigue the camera enthusiasts among you. It shows a twenty six year old David with a rather unusual lens. In 1968 I acquired a rare 1000mm Nikkor mirror lens. It was made for the then popular NIkkon F camera. The construction of the lens meant that the front element was a ring with the front mirror embedded in its centre. The rear mirror was also a ring as it had a hole in its centre for the camera. One result of this structure was that, as the image gets progressively out of focus, it produces soft rings as apposed to the soft discs of a conventional lens. Like all mirror lenses it had no diaphragm. It’s native f stop was 5.6 and exposure was controlled by two overlapping filter wheels in the rear of the lens fitted with ND filters. Not much depth of field since the physical stop of 5.6 didn't change. I had it adapted for movie. A special support cradle was built to which the lens was bolted rigidly to avoid shake. The camera was connected to the rear of the lens by a short bellows. The big focusing knob beneath the lens moved the entire camera back and forth in the support using a rack and pinion. Crude but effective. It’s long gone now sadly ………  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 14/05/19 11:14:40 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4002 Reply  |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
I still have the 500mm version of this lens gathering dust. Its working aperture is f11 - that was it. It gives a distinctive doughnut shape to any out-of-focus highlights. Haven’t used it since Pontus was a pilot. _________________  |
Posted on 14/05/19 11:25:46 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
Yes there was a 1000mm f11 as well. It was the common version of this lens. You can still find them for sale on eBay. It's much smaller. This f5.6 monster was very rare. I have not been able to find a single example or mention on the web. The man I bought it from told me that Nikkon only ever made three or four of these as a special order. No idea if that's true or if it was just sales talk. Certainly I can't see many enthusiasts wanting to lug it about with them! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 14/05/19 12:23:41 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4002 Reply |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
f5.6 was a very large aperture for a mirror lens, mostly they were f11 and, occasionally f8. The saving grace for them was that they were much lighter than a conventional lens for the same aperture. I remember a friend who was the company photographer for British Aerospace having a ‘proper’ 600mm glass lens bought for him. He almost needed a truck to carry the thing around. _________________ If at first you don't succeed then skydiving is not for you. |
Posted on 14/05/19 1:24:47 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
Oh my God I've just found one for sale! My memory was at fault it was f6.3 not f5.6. But it's the one beyond a shadow of doubt. But look at the price!!!! 
I am not going to tell you what I sold mine for ....... 
Here ...... _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 14/05/19 2:00:25 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4002 Reply |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
I think that someone is 'Extracting the Michael' with that asking price. And both our memories appear to be faulty on this. I just had a look at my own lens and it is actually an f8 lens ... as it's half the focal length and half a stop less than your original lens yoiu are welcome to have it for just half what the guy on e bay is asking.  _________________ If at first you don't succeed then skydiving is not for you. |
Posted on 14/05/19 2:11:08 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
 _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 15/05/19 3:14:38 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3227 Reply  |
Re: For camera enthusiasts - a most unusual lens.
What a lens! 
Mine is a Canon 500mm mirror reflex f8... haven't used it in years. I've always liked the "doughnut" shaped highlights... and often there were a lot of them. The only photograph (profile of a lowland gorilla) I ever entered in an amateur photo contest took first place and it was taken with the 500mm Canon. Very interesting topic, thanks David. |